Dozens of N.H. Seacoast pensioners earn $70K-plus (with database)

By Elizabeth Dinan

edinan@seacoastonline.com

January 22, 2013 - 5:27 PM

Thirty-nine retired Seacoast police officers, school officials and firefighters collected pensions in 2012 that exceeded $70,000, while the average statewide public pension for the year was $19,119, according to data for all state retirees released to Seacoast Media Group on Tuesday.

The highest pension paid to a Seacoast retiree during 2012 was $116,705 to retired Portsmouth Police Chief Michael Magnant. Last year Magnant was the fourth highest-earning pensioner in the state and this year he appears eighth on the list.

Retired Dover Police Chief William Fenniman tops the list with the state's largest pension of $135,915.

Retired Hampton Police Sgt. John Galvin was the ninth highest paid state pensioner in 2012 at $116,434. Two retired Portsmouth firefighters follow as the next highest-earning Seacoast pensioners. They are retired Deputy Fire Chief Steven Griswold with a $100,337 pension and retired Fire Capt. Bernie Marvin, with a $100,252 pension.

Former Hampton Police Chief William Wrenn, who retired in 2006, followed the Seacoast roster with a $99,042 pension in 2012, while the next highest Seacoast pensioner was retired Portsmouth Fire Capt. Timothy Collins with a $95,927 pension.

Former Portsmouth police officer William Irving, who retired at age 49, collected a pension in 2012 of $93,629.

Retired 25 years ago as a Portsmouth police captain, William Mortimor was the fifth highest pension earner in the state during 2011, with a $92,779 pension. While Mortimor's pension was the same in 2012, 66 public retirees collected pensions larger than his last year.

Retired Portsmouth patrol officer George Williams, who was often seen working street details for extra pay that was included in the calculation for his pension, collected a 2012 pension of $91,530.

New Hampshire Retirement System spokesman Marty Karlon said less than one percent of all state pensioners receive pensions of more than $75,000 per year. For further perspective, Karlon said more than 95 percent of retired public employees receive an annual pension less than $50,000, and nearly 70 percent have pensions less than $25,000.

Collecting pensions between $70,000 and $90,000 during 2012 were the following Seacoast retirees:

The NHRS has a $4.4 billion unfunded liability, the difference between retirement promises made to public workers and the money to pay them. The NHRS is funded by members, taxpayers and returns on investments.

Fifteen years after the city of Portsmouth ceased offering a benefit that allows employees to cash out unused time off, which is factored into legacy pensions, a quarter of all city employees remain eligible to reap the lapsed benefit, human resources manager Dianna Fogarty said in October.

Last year the Herald received, through a Right to Know request, more than 500 pages of data pertaining to all retired Portsmouth public workers. A review of the records showed very few city retirees did not have unused time or “additional” pay factored into their pension calculations. The city stopped offering unused time payouts to employees hired after 1996 and has a “leave at termination” account to fund the benefit to retiring employees hired before 1996. Recent legislative changes now bar all new public hires from including end-of-career payouts in pension calculations. In addition, special-duty pay, which includes road details, no longer counts as earnable compensation for police officers and firefighters hired after July 1, 2011.